Golf club with grip arranged to facilitate alignment and method of making the same

ABSTRACT

A golf club with a composite grip that provides a golfer with better feel of the club striking the ball. As a result, the golfer can improve his understanding of proper hand placement on the golf club to ensure appropriate alignment for most effective ball striking. The golf club includes a shaft and a transition member that establishes the interface between the shaft and the composite grip. The transition member is configured to receive therein the shaft and is further configured for insertion into the composite grip. The three components are joined together and a club head is attached to the shaft. The invention is well suited for making an improved putter that enables the golfer to increase putting accuracy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to golf clubs. More particularly, the present invention relates to improving alignment accuracy. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to putters with handle configurations arranged to improve putting alignment.

2. Background of the Invention

Golf putters are widely available and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The putter includes a grip or handle, a shaft and a putter head. The shaft establishes essentially the entire length of the putter, with the grip simply being a capped rubber tube that is placed over the upper portion of the shaft. Most putter heads include markings and/or weighting to aid the golfer in aligning the putter head with the ball to be putted to a hole. On the other hand, it is believed that existing putter grips are made for comfort, reduced slippage of the hands on the grip and to link the grip to the shaft. In spite of many putter designs, there has not previously been provided a putter that focuses on the design of the grip to improve putting alignment and incorrect placement of the hands on the grip. Putting misalignment is caused not only by improper line up of the putter head with a target, but by rolling of the wrists so that the putter is not as square as possible to the golf ball at the time of contact. That rolling may be caused by misalignment and/or improper hand placement at the outset. There is no indication that grips are currently designed to correct those limitations common to golfers. What is needed is a better putter construction and, in particular, a better grip construction arranged to reduce wrist rollover including the reduction of improper hand placement. More generally, what is needed is a better golf club construction to enhance feel and, thereby, improved alignment.

SUMMARY AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is a golf club, such as a putter, including a grip arranged to ensure proper hand placement and alignment thereon so as to prevent or reduce wrist rollover. The present invention accomplishes that functionality by making the grip of a non-metallic material that is more rigid than the rubber material used for all golf club grips. In particular, the non-metallic material is a composite plastic material. The composite grip helps reduce overall putter weight and gives the golfer the feel of a pop when making contact with the ball. Unlike rubberized grips placed over the shaft that absorb the vibration in the shaft, the composite grip of the present invention, which replaces the shaft at the upper portion of the putter, allows the golfer to feel the small amount of vibration at the time of contact so he knows if he has made good contact with the ball or not. Similar to a baseball bat when a batter strikes the ball, the impact of the ball contacting the bat is somewhat transferred to his hands. That feel teaches the batter to adjust grip to maximize the feel of solid contact. The same holds for the golfer. The feel of appropriate ball striking is learned by the golfer and in that learning the golfer places his hands in the best position to repeat the feel. That opportunity lost with the current rubberized grip that isolates the feel of the shaft from the golfer's hands is provided with the more rigid grip of the present invention. The rigid grip becomes the primary structural component where the golfer holds the club. The shaft may extend through the composite grip or it may be terminated at or near a transition member.

In order to provide sufficient overall rigidity of the club, the present invention does include the shaft extending from the composite grip to the putter head. The transition member joins the shaft to the composite grip. The club head may be of any configuration and is simply joined to the shaft at the end opposing the shaft end that engages the transition member in any manner commonly used to make putters including, but not limited to, welding or bonding the club head to the shaft end.

The golf club of the present invention is modular in that different grips, shafts and club heads can be joined together. In all instances, the grip is relatively rigid as compared to rubber and it replaces a portion of the shaft for purposes of structural integrity. This new grip configuration allows the golfer to enjoy a better feel of contact with the ball. That better feel teaches the golfer to hold the club handle in a way that ensures best ball striking by best alignment with the ball. It is well suited to improve putting when the club made is a putter. The invention is described further in the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the golf club in the form of a putter of the present invention

FIG. 2 is a side view of the composite grip and transition member of the golf club of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a first side view of the transition member in partial cross section.

FIG. 4 is a second side view of the transition member.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the transition member where the transition member engages with the putter shaft.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the grip top sleeve.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the grip cap.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the grip cap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

A golf club 10 of the present invention in the form of a putter is shown in FIG. 1 and two components thereof joined together are shown in FIG. 2. The golf club 10 includes a club head 12, a shaft 14, a transition member 16, a composite grip 18, an optional grip cap 20 and an optional grip top sleeve 21. The shaft 14 may be of a circular shape and includes a first end 22, a second end 24, a shaft body 26 and a transition interface section 28. The club head 12 is attached to the first end 22 of the shaft 14, such as by welding, friction fit or adhesion. The club head 12 and the shaft 14 may also be fabricated as a unitary structure. When they are two separate pieces joined together, most any putter head configuration may be used. The shaft body 26 is removably joined to the composite grip 18 using the transition member 16 as the interface coupling at the transition interface section 28.

The composite grip 18 is made of composite non-metallic material, such as a reinforced fiber, such as a carbon fiber reinforced resin, for example. It can be of selectable dimensions dependent on the desired feel for the golfer. For example, the composite grip 18 may be a section of a composite hockey stick. The composite grip 18 is hollow, it may be of a rectangular shape and it includes a first end 15 and a second end 19.

With reference to FIGS. 3-5, the transition member 16 includes a first end 30, a shaft interface section 32, a grip interface section 34, a second end 36 and a shaft port 38. The transition member 16 is fabricated of a non-metallic material, such as rubber or plastic. It may be fabricated as a unitary structure. The shaft interface section 32 is formed and dimensioned to fit around the shaft 14 at the transition interface section 28. The shaft port 38 in the shaft interface section 32 is of a first cross section in first region 40 sufficient to receive the shaft 14 therein. The shaft port 38 in the grip interface section 34 may be of a smaller cross section in second region 42 selected to be smaller than the cross section of the shaft 14 so that the second end 24 of the shaft 14 cannot extend beyond shoulder 44. In that form of the shaft port 38, the shaft 14 does not extend into the grip interface section 34. Alternatively, the cross section of the shaft port 38 in second region 42 may be larger than that so that the shaft 14 can extend into the grip interface section 34 and into the interior of the composite grip 18 if desired. The shaft interface section 32 may be circular in shape to match the shape of the shaft 14, and the grip interface section 34 may be rectangular in shape to match the shape of the composite grip 18.

With reference to FIG. 6, the optional grip top sleeve 21 may be applied over at least a portion of the second end 19 of the composite grip 18. It can provide some give for the golfer's hands. The grip top sleeve 21 includes a lower section 52 and an upper section 54. The upper section 54 is thicker than the lower section 52. The sleeve 21 is hollow and may be made of a stretchable material, such as rubber, so that it may be placed over the composite grip 18 at the second end 19 and fit snugly thereon. The greater thickness of the upper section 54 provides the golfer with an indication that he has reached the upper end of the composite grip 18.

With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the optional grip cap 20 may be inserted into the composite grip 18 at the top thereof. It may be used to cap an open void at the top of the second end 19 of the composite grip 18. The grip cap 20 includes a grip engagement body 46 and a cap top 48. The grip engagement body 46 is configured and dimensioned with a cross section that is smaller than an interior of the composite grip 18 so that the grip cap 20 fits within the composite grip 18 up to the cap top 48. The grip cap 20 may be fabricated of a non-metallic material such as rubber or plastic. The grip cap 20 may be fabricated as a unitary structure. The grip cap 20 may be coupled to the interior of the composite grip 18 at the second end 19 thereof either with a frictional fit, bonding or other securing means.

The transition member 16 provides a transition from a circular shaft 14 to the composite grip 18, which may or may not be circular. The transition member 16 enables the fabrication of a golf putter 10 with a common shaft and a grip that is better than existing grips. In a method of making the putter 10, the transition interface section 28 of the shaft 14 is scuffed up to ensure that a bonding agent such as an adhesive will adhere to the interior surface of the shaft port 38. Adhesive is applied to the transition interface section 28 and the transition interface section 28 is then inserted into the shaft port 38 at least up to the shoulder 44 in the shaft interface section 32 of the transition member 16 where it is bonded into place. Dependent upon the dimensions of region 42 of the shaft port 38, the shaft 14 may be extended further into the transition member 16; otherwise, adhesive may pool in region 42 to reinforce the bond of the transition member 16 to the shaft 14. Next, outer surface 35 of grip interface section 34 of the transition member 16 is scuffed to improve its bonding characteristics. The interior of the first end 15 of the composite grip 18 may also be scuffed for the same purpose. The grip interface section 34 is then inserted into the interior of the first end 15 of the composite grip 18 and bonded in place. This joining of the shaft 14 to the transition member 16 and the transition member 16 to the composite grip 18 provides stability for the putter 10 so that it may be used for its intended purpose.

The combination of the shaft 14, transition member 16 and the composite grip 18 may be applied to any sort of golf clubs and so it is not solely limited to use in making an effective putter. Nevertheless, it is well suited for use in making a putter that enables improved alignment.

While the present invention has been described with respect to specific component configurations and combinations, it is to be understood that it is not limited to such express examples. Instead, the present invention is described by the following claims and equivalents thereto. 

1. A golf club comprising: a club head; a shaft including a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is joined to the club head; a hollow grip made of a composite material and having a first end and a second end; and a transition member coupled between the second end of the shaft and the first end of the hollow grip, wherein the shaft extends into the transition member and the transition member extends into the hollow grip, wherein the transition member includes a shaft port for receiving the second end of the shaft therein, a grip interface section arranged for insertion into the first end of the hollow grip, and a shoulder arranged therein so that the second end of the shaft cannot extend beyond the shoulder into the hollow grip.
 2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the shaft is circular, the hollow grip is rectangular and the transition member includes a first section that transitions from a round shape to a rectangular shape and a second section that is of a rectangular shape, wherein the second end of the shaft is inserted into the first section of the transition member and the second section of the transition member is inserted into the first end of the hollow grip.
 3. The golf club of claim 2, wherein the golf club further includes a grip cap inserted into the second end of the hollow grip.
 4. (canceled)
 5. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the shaft port includes a first region and a second region, wherein the cross sectional dimensions of the second region are smaller than the cross sectional dimensions of the first region to form the shoulder therebetween.
 6. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the golf club is a putter.
 7. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the hollow grip is made of carbon fiber reinforced resin. 